Building Futures

New Neighborhood Groups Putting The Unity In `Community.'

July 17, 1995|By JIM Di PAOLA Staff Writer

BOYNTON BEACH - — After 12 years of living in the Mangrove Walk neighborhood that hugs the Intracoastal Waterway, Debbie Tornello tired of seeing yards flooded because there was no storm drainage system. She wished sidewalks and street lights would be installed.

But she thought no one else cared.

Now, four months after forming the Mangrove Walk Neighborhood Association, Tornello learned that many of her neighbors had the same concerns and wanted something done about it.

"Everyone was complaining on an individual basis, which means zilch," Tornello said. "Now, we're actually more like a community."

Since the neighbors banded together, Police Chief Thomas Dettman, City Commissioner Matt Bradley and code enforcement officers have attended at least one of the group's meetings.

The group also has successfully fought a zoning change the residents did not want.

"It's really nice to see the city interested in our neighborhood," said Marc Friedman, who has lived in Mangrove Walk since 1971. "It humanizes the city."

A business owners' association and two other neighborhood groups have formed during the past four months, a trend that is making city commissioners smile.

"When something comes up, it makes it easier for us and city administrators to work with a group rather than individuals," City Commissioner Sid Rosen said.

Rosen said it is difficult for commissioners to act on an individual complaint that could affect a whole community. If a neighborhood association wants something done, commissioners are more prone to act because they know the residents in the area want a change.

Bradley said homeowner's associations empower residents and make them more comfortable in helping the city.

"There is a perception that government is there to solve problems," he said. "But it has been my experience that government gets in the way of solving problems. The more residents get involved and take over their destiny, the better off the city is going to be."

Jeanne Heavilin, who lives in Mangrove Walk, a seven-block neighborhood wedged between North Federal Highway and the Intracoastal, said joining the association and working with city officials has given her hope for the city.

"I've lived in Boynton Beach for 21 years," Heavilin said. "We now have a City Commission that is into the city. Boynton Beach has got a dynamic future and I'm really excited about it."

The associations also have yielded unexpected payoffs for some residents. In Mangrove Walk, homeowners who once kept to themselves now seem to be outside more, taking nightly strolls and communicating with neighbors.

The residents have cleaned trash from empty lots together, and they watch for strangers in the area.

The community spirit of Mangrove Walk residents has spilled into outlying areas. Unhappy with some unkempt businesses along North Federal Highway, which borders their neighborhood from Northeast Fourth Avenue to Manor Road, residents are trying to form alliances with business owners.

"If the neighborhood is nice, nicer businesses might want to come there and that brings in better clientele," Tornello said.